Viral.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF9-sEbqDvU

One thing that I have always found curious is how and why exactly internet videos go viral.
People have had a fascination with short video clips since the technology of video cameras became easily available to everyday people, as shown by TV programs such as America's Funniest Home Videos and more recently Tosh.0. People, including myself, derive endless amusement from clips of funny animals, stop motion animation, or people humiliating themselves (among other things).
Obviously, the first step in a video's journey to becoming viral is it's creation. Someone must either think up an idea, like in the link that I posted, or just happen to be filming something. Again, obviously, the next step is for the person to post it online... but what happens after that? Is it as simple as sharing it with friends, who share it with their friends, and so on? And if so, how long does it actually take for that to happen?
I also wonder where the term 'viral' came from, in terms of internet videos. When I think of the word, I usually give it negative connotations like sickness and disease... but in the world of an internet video-poster having a video go viral is possibly the best thing that can happen.

Religion and Art: Ideas from Alex Grey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08R8tgvXa7o

I find the different ways that artists incorporate the different aspects of their life, such as family and religion, very interesting... While I adhere to no specific religion myself, in the past I have drawn some artistic inspiration from some spiritual ideals. Although my work is obviously not on the level as someone as accomplished as Alex Grey, thinking about it brings some questions to my mind.

If one can use art as a form of meditation, like the Buddhists, is it really possible for future events to be "seen" through some one's artistic inspiration? Using Grey's painting Gaia as an example, it makes me wonder what other events that have occurred have been previously recorded by past works of different artists.

Another question that this video raises for me is how heavily should art rely on religious or spiritual experiences? Throughout history, some of the most awe inspiring art have been the products of religious background. But at the same time, there are countless other artists whose work is clearly secular.

My answer to this question is that I believe it doesn't matter if the inspiration for the work is derived from something spiritual, because the act of creating art is spiritual itself. The concept of creating art that means something to you embeds your own insight into the work that you are creating which, if great enough, will be passed down through the generations and will in turn inspire others. In this art we put a piece of who we are, and in this sense it is possible for us to live forever.

Contribution.

Within our small World Literature class, there are an innumerable number of differences between each of the students. It is a fortunate byproduct of our small class size that allows us to see what each of us, as individuals, bring to the table. In our class I think that I offer a slightly different outlook on the literature that we read because I have more of an interest and background in the arts.

Many students use their knowledge to assess what to think about a writing to get the best possible grade. While that is often a useful skill, I prefer to think into what we are learning a little farther than that. I see the pieces that we read not simply as books or plays, but as actual works of art that the author created. When I think about what we are reading in class I first think about the process behind it that led the author to create what he or she did, even if the piece is not quite my taste. Though I might sometimes seem distracted during a lesson or do not always say my process out loud in class, my mind is always working, turning the topic over and over again; all the while serving as an outlet for some of the other students jokes.